STATE COLLEGE SYSTEM WANTS $250M IN FUNDS

LONG BEACH 
California State University officials said Tuesday they’ll need nearly $250 million more in state funding for the next academic year than is proposed, an amount Gov. Jerry Brown called “a dream more than reality.”

Brown warned the board of trustees at its Tuesday meeting that any request for funding more than the slated $125 million for 2013-14 will be hard to push through the Legislature. “Look, it’s a tight ship and it’s going to get tighter,” he said. “We’re going to have to do some ... very creative, very thoughtful, very caring adjustments.”

The university and the governor are also far apart on capital spending. Brown has allotted $3.6 million for four capital projects, while the university says it needs $519.6 million for 38 projects that include seismic, utility and infrastructure upgrades at various campuses. CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor Robert Turnage told trustees the system will need nearly $372 million in additional funds to pay for such things as salary raises to maintenance and equipment. Brown has agreed to give CSU $125 million extra if the university system won’t raise tuition.